Hoppin' John's Cousin

Yield

8 servings (serving size: about 3/4 cup)

Photo: José Picayo; Styling: Jocelyne Beaudoin

Liza Schoenfein,
RECIPE BY Cooking Light December 2010

Traditionally, Hoppin' John is served in the South at New Year's because the black-eyed peas represent coins—they're meant to herald prosperity in the coming year. Our version, with all its veggies, is a fresher, healthier update. This side dish can be made a day ahead and is, in fact, better after the flavors have had a chance to meld.

1 cup dried black-eyed peas
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups water, divided
1 1/2 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
3 ounces andouille sausage, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 bay leaf
1 cup water
1/2 cup uncooked long-grain rice
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions (optional)

How to Make It

Step 1

Sort and wash black-eyed peas; place in a large bowl. Cover with water to 2 inches above peas; soak for 8 hours or overnight. Drain.

Step 2

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and next 4 ingredients (through jalapeño); sauté 7 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in paprika and cumin; saute 1 minute. Add peas, water, and next 8 ingredients (through bay leaf), stirring to combine. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 50 minutes or until peas are tender. Discard bay leaf.

Step 3

Combine 1 cup water and rice in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 12 minutes or until rice is tender and water is absorbed. Fluff rice with a fork, and stir into pea mixture. Top with green onions, if desired.

Liza Schoenfein,

5 stars – based on 18 reviews

Article Headline

Very good

Namaste

My family ate it up! I made for New Years. We had with brown rice and Mexican cornbread. I halved the jalapeño and the Tabasco and doubled the andouille. I forgot to put on green onions but otherwise followed the recipe closely (put in a bit more peppers and cumin). Very good. Worth making again.

steponme's Review

tinaruns1

Good, followed recipe, except used frozen peas instead of dry.

smd1212's Review

afieldmsd

Delicious, although I haven't had Hoppin' John so I can't compare to the original; my husband and teenaged son both liked it, and that is my main criteria! We like spicy, so I used a can of fire-roasted tomatoes with green chilies and smoked paprika, and I served with Tabasco sauce at the table. They both tried a dash of extra Tabasco but felt it didn't need any extra spice, so I think I hit the right balance for us. I made this a couple days ago and let the flavors meld, and made a bag of Uncle Ben's boil in bag brown rice and stirred it into the reheated stew and served with cornbread. We found it to be a complete filling meal. Recommended, and very tasty on this frigid January day!

afieldmsd's Review

veryslowcook

One of my favorite recipes of all time. I doubled the whole thing as I had 2 cups of fresh black eyed peas from CSA. I used all green peppers, and I left the seeds in for the jalepenos. I used double the amount of *smoked* paprika (2 tsp total since I was doubling the recipe) and I also added 2 tsp chipotle chili powder. I used sriracha instead of tabasco, and quinoa instead of rice. I also used 1 lb of Polish sausage instead of the andouille. I cooked as directed, but towards the end, I turned the heat down and stirred it a lot to really cook off as much liquid as possible and concentrate the flavors. Finally, I served over corn bread made with pancake syrup for a touch of sweet. Turnip greens as a side rounded out this delicious meal!

Panski's Review

susan

N/A

Susansea's Review

AMMoore

Delicious way to ring in the New Year! This is easily a main dish. I made a few changes - I used Linguisa instead of andouille and omitted the jalapeño because my daughter won't eat it if it's too spicy. I subbed Spanish smoked hot paprika for regular and used dried thyme that I sauteed with the other dried herbs. I made collards with double garlic and corn bread to go with it.I think brown rice might even be better - or you could omit the rice. Will be a keeper.

SingingGourmand's Review

cupspinner

My husband adored this, but it was a bit too spicy for my tastes. If you're not a big spice lover, I'd recommend using 1/2 of the jalapeño or a can of mild diced green chile, and maybe use a turkey kielbasa plus some smoked paprika in place of the andouille. If you like spicy, though, don't change a thing!

MizRev's Review

Helen

Much more interesting, and less pasty, than traditional hoppin john. I doubled the andouille sausage since this was the main attraction. Also used one boil-in-bag of rice,which made things much simpler. I did not figure out the water thing, so it was a bit soupy, which was fine. We gobbled it down with spoons. It thickened after sitting.

ChefAmandaLynn's Review

steponme

tinaruns1's Review

jenniferkatie

Why do people review recipes poorly after making changes? This is outstanding for being healthful. It is not quite the taste you would get from using a ham hock but still delicious and worthy of New Years' Day. I made with Sauteed Collards and Onions (CL) and Honey Cornbread (http://www.grouprecipes.com/3228/honey-corn-bread.html)--which was delicious, too.

Hoppin' John's Cousin

Ingredients

How to Make It

You May Like

Ratings & Reviews

Very good

steponme's Review

smd1212's Review

afieldmsd's Review

Panski's Review

Susansea's Review

SingingGourmand's Review

MizRev's Review

ChefAmandaLynn's Review

tinaruns1's Review

Hoppin' John's Cousin

Ingredients

Nutritional Information Down

How to Make It

You May Like

Ratings & Reviews

Sign Up for our Newsletter

Success

Nutritional Information